


someone to stay

by vangoghceans



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, One Direction (Band), Sweet Creature - Harry Styles (Song), liam payne - Fandom
Genre: Abandonment, Breaking Up & Making Up, College, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship/Love, Romance, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 10:26:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16742263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vangoghceans/pseuds/vangoghceans
Summary: Charlotte McKnight is a pessimist. It was simple to her; why subject yourself to hurt and betrayal if you can help it?Harry Styles is clever, cocky, and extremely persistent. In other words, he's exactly what Charlotte wants - and needs - to avoid. It shouldn't be hard, right?Wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

My throat burned with the contact of the alcohol I had just swung back. I set the glass back down on the table giving the bartender a chance to refill it. I let out a breath of air and rubbed my tired eyes. 

"You good?" He asked, as he poured the caramel coloured liquid to the very top of the glass.

"Yeah, fine," I replied, "Long day I guess." 

"Ah, well, this ones on the house, you look new here." He stated with a grin. He was definitely cute, with warm brown eyes and shaggy blonde hair but I really wasn't in the social mood tonight.

"Uh, thanks" I mumbled, hoping that would be the end of the conversation and thankfully it was, once more people approached the bar demanding drinks. I took the time to look around the bar, noticing the hanging lights around the room, adding a warm glow onto everyone's faces as they laughed and drank. There were pool tables in the middle of the room, all occupied by friends seeming to have a good time. Rock music played softly in the background, clashing with the sound of the TV playing the latest hockey game. As I brought my eyes back to the front of the bar, I noticed a male approach me to my left. He sat down and gave me a rather creepy smile. 

"Well hey there, haven't seen you around here before." He smirked, immediately letting me know he was going to be yet another annoying part to my day. I internally groaned, chugging half of my drink before facing him.

"You don't say?" I replied, keeping my voice dull and uninterested. Why is it that I run out of alcohol in the comfort of my own home at the worst times? I made a mental note to go to the store tomorrow and stock up. He let out a laugh, clearly not catching onto my disinterest, or just not caring. 

"Yeah, you know, I'm a regular here and I've never seen you."

Yeah, the man definitely just didn't care.

"Shocker," I mumbled under my breath, hoping he wouldn't hear me.

"Are you here alone?"

"Actually I-" 

"Hey muffin sorry I'm late!" Another voice chimed in, while wrapping an arm around me and taking a seat on the other side of me. I tensed up at the sudden contact and whipped my head around to see who this stranger was. I immediately made eye contact with him, drinking in his appearance and having a hard time looking away. He had stunning green eyes, with dark, curly hair that was unruly, immediately making me want to run my hands through it. Not to mention he smelled really fucking good. He shot me an irresistible grin and wink, which told me to just play along. I took a deep breath. 

"Hi babe, I missed you." I chirped, touching my hand to his thigh and turning my head to face the man to my left, hoping this would be enough for him. The smirk on his face dropped, and he mumbled a few curses before pushing his chair back and walking away. I let out a breath I wasn't even aware I was holding. My body froze as I realized my hand was still resting on the strangers thigh, and I instantly jerked it back and let it rest on my own. 

"I'd say I deserve a thanks for that one. Maybe even a drink." He states, and flashes me another one of those annoyingly cute grins. I rolled my eyes and gave him a flat look.

"Thanks, but I could've handled it myself." I bit back.

"That would've been no fun, don't you agree muffin?" I was starting to get annoyed with this man, and I hoped it was clear. Finishing the rest of my drink, I turned my body towards him. 

"Don't call me that, what are we, twelve?" He let out a loud laugh, tilting his head back. I took the time to observe the rest of him. A denim button up clung to his upper half, with the sleeves rolled up allowing me to see some tattoos. His legs were covered with black jeans and he wore a black pair of converse. I couldn't deny the fact that he was attractive. If he wasn't so smug and irritating right now, I would definitely be more interested. I had no patience for arrogant guys like him.

"Feisty. I like you." He stated. Okay, I need to find a new bar. 

"Well, it's been... nice chatting, but I better go." I replied, whilst throwing money on the bar and grabbing my bag. I hopped off the bar stool and gave him one last glance before I left. 

"See you around muffin." He teased, giving me a small wink. I scoffed, "Yeah, we'll see." 

As I walked back to my apartment, I played our encounter over and over in my head. Okay, so I was a little harsh. I had a shit day, I thought, mentally trying to excuse my bitchiness. Don't get me wrong, I could admire him on a physical level, but after exchanging only a few words, I knew that was all there was to it.

I unlocked my door and let out a frustrated groan once I was finally home. I was so tired I couldn't be bothered to do anything other than undress and crawl into bed. I knew I had an early class tomorrow so I grabbed my phone and set my alarm for seven, already dreading waking up. I flicked my lamp off and before I knew it I was fast asleep. 

_______________________

Once I was showered and dressed, I packed up my things for class. The weather was only just starting to get cold, so I threw on a light jacket and slipped my sneakers on. Locking my door, I headed out of my apartment and started towards campus, grabbing a coffee on the way. As I approached the building my class was in, I spotted my friends at a picnic table.

"Char!" Cass yelled, flashing me a grin. I headed over to where they were, taking a seat beside her. 

"Hey Cass." I replied, then taking a sip of my coffee at an attempt to stay warm. As I set it down, a pair of hands grabbed it. 

"Reece!" I slapped his hands away from my coffee, making him yelp in surprise. 

"What? I forgot to get some this morning." He replied with a grin, taking a sip despite my efforts to take it back. I shot him a glare as he handed it back to me.

"That sounds like a you problem, stay away from my coffee." I grumbled, trying to fight a smile at the same time. Reece and Cass were two of my closest friends here, meeting them at a party on one of my first nights in town. The three of us instantly bonded and shared a mutual dislike towards our school's frat parties, so we decided to ditch and get drunk in my apartment. Since that night, I can say they've practically become family to me. Cass had witnessed one of my breakdowns after receiving a call from my mother, and I knew I couldn't hide the truth about my family from her any longer. It felt good to let it all out to someone finally, it was a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. As much as I tried to put it all behind me, I knew having someone to confide in was important. I let out a small smile, appreciating the two people in front of me, no matter how weird they were. 

"You love me, admit it." Reece cooed, while kissing my cheek. I rolled my eyes but grinned at him.

"Shut up and let's get to class, we have five minutes." I stated. We all grabbed our things and headed towards the doors to the building. It had also worked out so that the all of us had three out of our five classes together, making studying a lot easier. Cass linked arms with me and bounced towards our classroom. 

Class went by fairly quick and we were headed towards one of the places to eat on campus for some lunch. We chose a table in the middle of the room and began to eat, chatting about our classes and upcoming events.

"All I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt to at least check it out." Cass huffed in annoyance. 

"Halloween is fucking lame! And I thought we had an agreement that frat parties are a waste of our time and alcohol?" Reece retorted, causing Cass to roll her eyes. I laughed as I watched the two of them argue, not bothering to chime in since I knew we were going to end up going. Cass always got her way. I was interrupted from my thoughts when Reece nudged my shoulder and at the same time stole a fry. I glared at him. 

"When will you learn? I don't like to share." I said, sliding my tray away from him. 

"I'll stop if you tell Cass we are not going to this stupid Halloween party." My eyes moved from Reece to Cass, and she shot me a smug look knowing I would take her side. I groaned at the thought of another frat party, especially one where we had to dress up but I knew she really wanted to go. 

"If it's lame, we're leaving and you're buying us food." I grumbled. Reece just shot me a glare and Cass squealed with excitement. 

"Okay! Yes! It's going to be fun, just wait. Let's go pick out costumes when we're done with classes!" She exclaimed. Reece and I gave each other a weary look as she rambled on and on about potential costume ideas. 

"If this is going to be as bad as the first one, I'm blaming you." Reece hissed. I winced at the thought of it being anywhere near as bad as the first one. I didn't like cliches, but college frat parties were just that. 

"Relax. She really wants to go, we'll suck it up for one night and maybe it won't be bad." I tried to convince him (and myself). When we were finished with lunch, we parted ways since we all had different classes. I struggled to stay awake through History and Government, taking mediocre notes as the professors spoke. I sighed as I remembered the upcoming shopping trip after class to look for Halloween costumes. 

It's just a party. It can't be that bad. 

_______________________


	2. Chapter 2

"No. Nope. Absolutely not Cass."

"Why? It looks so good!"

"I look like a fucking idiot! No!"

It's safe to say shopping for a Halloween costume was not going well. At all. 

Reece and I had been forced to go into every store Cass saw in the mall, but still no luck. We had tried on at least ten different outfits, but I either hated everything or refused to spend a ridiculous amount of money on something I knew I would only wear once. My patience was seriously running thin at this point. Reece shot me an 'I told you so look' while he sat on a chair outside of the dressing room. I stuck my tongue out at him and walked back into the room to put my regular clothes back on. 

"I really don't think we're going to find anything here." I stated, "Maybe we could just make something? You know, DIY." 

"Maybe if you stopped being so difficult and picky we would be able to find something!" Cass exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. 

"I'm sorry, okay? I just don't exactly feel like showing up wearing next to nothing!" I snapped, fully aware of the fact that I was being difficult, but I couldn't help it. I hated dressing up, especially in a revealing outfit that was just going to be shoved in the back of my closet once the nights over. I love to go out and have a good time don't get me wrong, but I wasn't sure a Halloween frat party was under my list of things considered fun. 

We had given up on the mall, and decided to go back to my apartment for dinner before we started getting ready for the party. Cass claimed she had found the 'perfect outfits' for us and said that she would be running back to her place to grab some things before coming over. I decided to order a pizza and make a trip to the store to get some alcohol for tonight. It was definitely going to be needed. Reece and I were laying on the floor listening to music and eating when Cass burst through the door grinning. I groaned. 

"Oh god, what?" I asked, pain evident in my voice. When she was this excited, it was never a good thing. 

"Just try and consider this, because it's pretty much our last option. Okay?" She asked hopefully. I shut my eyes for a few seconds before nodding. She took out a bunch of clothes from her bag and urged me to try them on. From the looks of them, they seemed somewhat normal which eased my worry a bit. I ran into the bathroom to take a quick shower. I let the hot water turn my skin a pink colour before washing my hair and body. When I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped into my room, Cass and Reece were sitting on my bed. She graciously offered me the clothes and once they were on I walked in front of my full body mirror to see what she had picked. Surprisingly, I didn't hate it. It was a red lace bodysuit and high waisted black skinny jeans. I was also given a pair of black heels to go with it.

"So what exactly am I?" I asked, eyeing my appearance.

"A devil! And look! I'm an angel!" She giggled as she grabbed a white top and skirt to change into. I had to admit, as basic as it was, it was probably my best option. I agreed to wear it and started on my hair and makeup. I wasn't big on getting that dolled up, so I just let my hair dry into natural curls and then applied a minimal amount of makeup. While getting ready, the three of us took shots and danced to the music playing in the background, getting buzzed already. Cass had given me a pair of devil horns and herself a halo that sat on top of her head. Reece was dressed up as a baseball player, which wasn't hard for him to do seeing as he actually was one. He had light brown curly hair and bright blue eyes, and to top it off one of the cutest smiles I've ever seen. I had to admit, we did look good. I just hoped that I wasn't going to regret agreeing to this party.

_______________________

As soon as we stepped into the house, I was instantly irritated meaning I definitely wasn't drunk enough. I immediately made a beeline for the drinks table, grabbing the first thing I saw and chugging it. Cass and Reece followed behind me, doing the exact same. When the alcohol started to kick in, I felt somewhat lighter and happier. Cass grabbed both of our hands and directed us towards the dance floor. It didn't take long for the alcohol to start giving its full effects, causing me to start swaying my hips and dancing with whoever was closest to me. I kept my eyes closed and smiled as I danced, not caring about anything else other than having a good time. A thin layer of sweat covered my skin but I honestly didn't care. As I continued dancing, a pair of warm hands grabbed my waist and started gently moving my hips, caressing my thighs at the same time. His firm chest was pressed against my back and and I didn't protest, it felt nice. My hands found my way up and around the back of mystery guy's neck, and I continued to dance, loving the way he felt behind me. I tilted my neck to the side, which allowed him to put his lips against my neck sending shivers down my spine. 

"Hey muffin." 

My eyes widened and I spun around to see a familiar face behind me, still keeping a tight grip on my waist and of course, grinning. My lips parted in surprise, but he just kept smiling at me.

"Told you I'd see you around."

_______________________


	3. Chapter 3

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, still in a state of shock. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at how I had acted last night towards him, but I was also irritated that him and his extreme good looks and cocky attitude were yet again in front of me. It was then that I noticed his hands were still tightly gripped around my waist, so I wiggled free. He let out a chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. I almost stopped him just so I could do it. 

What is wrong with me? 

"It's a college party. I go to college." He stated nonchalantly. It never occurred to me that he just might attend the same school as me, and in this moment I felt quite stupid. 

"Oh." I mumbled, feeling blood rush to my cheeks at the same time. He hummed in response, looking amused at my reaction. Smug bastard. 

"Those were some dance moves back there muffin."

"I thought I told you not to call me that." I said whilst rolling my eyes.

"You did but I never agreed to it, especially when I don't even know your name." 

While trying to think of a reply that was as equally annoying as his, I was interrupted by Cass yelling my name. Fuck. 

"Charlotte! There you are!" I groaned and titled my head back, wondering why this had to happen to me. I went to take a look at the tall, extremely annoying, handsome man in front of me only to see he was already looking at me. A soft smile was on his lips and I couldn't bring myself to break the stare. 

"Charlotte. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." 

I let out an extremely unattractive snort. Way to go, Char. He just continued to smile at me with an amused expression while Cass approached us. 

"Who are you?" Cass ran her eyes up and down his body, not even trying to be subtle. He gave her a grin and reached his hand out for her to shake and she willingly did the same with a smile. Seriously?

"Harry Styles. And you are...?" 

"Cassie, but you can just call me Cass. Actually, yeah, just call me Cass." I rolled my eyes at her nervousness around him.

"Nice to meet you, Cass." He shot her one of his signature grins which caused me to roll my eyes for what felt like the millionth time tonight. Would he ever stop?

"You know, if you keep rolling your eyes like that they're gonna get stuck there." 

"It's not my fault, you bring out the worst in me."

"Ouch, muffin." He held his hand over his heart, feigning a look of hurt. 

"Would you quit calling me that?" I snapped. Thankfully, Cass decided to interrupt. 

"Wait, how do you two know each other?"

"Long, boring, unimportant story. Now let's go." I grabbed her arm and attempted to drag her away from Harry but he reached out and lightly grabbed my shoulder. His hand was warm against my bare skin and I shivered at his touch. 

"You're really going to just leave again?" He frowned, and for one split second a feeling of guilt washed over me. I quickly shook it off and turned to him. 

"It appears that way." There was no point in being nice. Part of me felt bad, but it just wasn't worth it. I had seen it all before, I'm not sure if he really thought he was fooling me. 

"Well muffin, I'll be seeing you around." He wiped the look of disappointment off of his face and gave me a smile. His smile put me at a loss for words, so I just turned around with Cass' arm around mine and walked away. 

When the three of us had finally gotten back to my apartment, I knew I was about to face a series of questions from Cass. I had never really hungout with anyone except for her and Reece, so the fact that she had seen me talking to someone like Harry was most likely surprising for her. Not to mention, he wasn't too hard to look at. 

"So, care to explain this long, boring, unimportant story?" Cass asked me, with her eyebrows raised. I knew that there was no way in hell she would be letting this slide. So, I explained the situation at the bar and how he had faked knowing me, and how I may have been a little less than nice towards him. I then began to tell her about the stranger I danced with who had actually turned out to be Harry. 

"So, now you know. See? Boring and unimportant, like I already told you." I said flatly, grabbing my beer and taking a drink. I snatched the piece of cold leftover pizza from Reece's hand and gave him a smirk. 

"Seriously Char?" He whined. I laughed while chewing on the pizza, and at the same time waving the piece in his face. 

"That's what happens when you take my food all the time, maybe this will teach you a lesson." He just shot me a glare and continued to pout in the corner.

"Char, don't you think you were a little harsh? I mean, it seems like he was just trying to help you the other night. Not to mention he was clearly interested in dancing with you." Cassie has always been a hopeless romantic, always seeing the best in people. I on the other hand, wasn't about to fall for his charm. Sure, maybe I was making quick judgements on him, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Cass didn't understand, but I envied that about her. I wish I could forget about certain things but I just couldn't. 

"You only saw the nice side of him Cass, he was an arrogant asshole when I met him. I thought he was nice when he was trying to help me out, but then he acted like I needed his help, which I didn't. He also won't stop calling me muffin, I mean, what the fuck? Who does that?" I was annoyed just thinking about it. 

"Uh, someone who is interested in you." I glared at Reece. "Or not! Definitely not interested." I shook my head, dismissing his ridiculous thoughts, but laughed at his feeble attempt to take back what he said.

"It doesn't matter, our school is big enough, it's not like I need to deal with him everyday. It really wasn't a big deal. You two are the only people I need right now." Cassie just sighed at my stubbornness, but I wasn't going to change my mind. I liked my two friends, I didn't need any more. Cassie was aware of my hesitations to be so trusting, so she didn't pry for once.

"Whatever you say Char." She sighed in defeat. 

"I love you two, you know that right?" Reece and Cassie just smiled and attacked me with a hug, sending us all to the floor laughing. 

"We love you too baby." Cass kissed my cheek and I grinned at my two friends laying beside me. Once we had settled into our makeshift bed on my living room floor, I had realized just how exhausted I was. After a few laughs the three of us had grown silent, and before I knew it I was drifting off to sleep.

_______________________


End file.
